


Hazy Sunsets

by Pangrim



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Ex-Boyfriends, F/M, Found Family, Have you ever read Selphina's conversation with Finn? It's brutal, M/M, No Beta, Young Love, slightly open ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29296296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pangrim/pseuds/Pangrim
Summary: Finn and Glade, nearly two decades apart.
Relationships: Finn/Glade (Fire Emblem), Past Finn/Glade (Fire Emblem), referenced Glade/Selfina
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Memories

“Finn!”

He paused in his training, panting and wiping his forehead.

“There you are!” Glade said, running up to him, barely stopping short of running into him.

Finn leaned heavily on his lance, but grinned when he saw Glade. “It’s nice to see you.” He greeted.

Glade observed the young knight. He looked exhausted, and somewhat pained. He was certainly sporting a black eye. Glade reached out, gently touching the skin around the bruise. Finn flinched back.

“It’s not that bad!” Finn tried to wave off, smiling at his best friend.

“You know you can’t lie to me.” Glade scolded, putting his hands on his hips. “Was it the older knights again?”

Finn went silent. Glade sighed when he knew he was right, but wouldn’t be receiving an answer. 

“Okay, buddy.” He reached out, putting a hand on the staff of the lance. Finn stared him down, but Glade looked back, unblinking. They had a bit of a content, but Finn’s shoulders soon slumped. He let go of the lance, allowing Glade to take it and put it away safely.

“You don’t have to help me, like this.” Finn said softly.

Glade looked at him for a few moments, before answering softly. “I want to.”

Finn looked away, rubbing his cheek. 

Glade frowned deeply, eyeing him carefully. “Does it hurt?” He asked cautiously, hovering his hands around Finn’s face.

Finn huffed. “N-No, that’s not it.”

“What is it, then?”

Finn looked at him from the corner of his eye, then huffed again. “Let’s just go.”

“If you say so.” Glade decided not to press, grabbing Finn’s gloved hand and leading him away.

The blue-haired squire sighed in relief that his friend didn't notice his blush.

\--- --- --- --- --- ---

Glade was good at what he did, when it came to caring for Finn. He was thorough, noticing that Finn flinched slightly when he put more weight on his right side. Finn was not a baby, and he liked to deny that he was when he was hurt. However, Glade knew him well, by that time. He could read the other’s face better than any sort of book.

“What would Lord Quan say if he knew you were injured like this, but kept on training?” Glade couldn’t help but ask, looking at the bruises on Finn’s leg.

“He would be proud that I stuck with it, and kept up my training.” Finn had his arms crossed, face turned so Glade couldn’t see the black eye.

Glade raised an eyebrow, staying silent. 

Finn glanced over, then looked away even farther, tightening his arms as red spread across his face. “I-I mean it!”

“Sure you do.” Glade sighed, wetting the washcloth. “You’re lucky it’s cold weather, right now. A warm creek wouldn’t do for taking care of you.”

“I don’t need to be taken care of.” Finn said, and immediately regretted his words.

Glade was silent as he put the cold washcloth on Finn’s shin, his rolled up pants making it easy to do so. Finn kept looking away, silently cursing himself for what he had said. 

“…Finn.” Glade eventually sighed.

“Glade.” Finn said his friend’s name, relaxing his shoulders a bit.

“Lord Quan would be sad to see you like this.” Glade said, dipping another washcloth into the freezing creek water.

Finn looked over. “Where’s that one going?”

Glade rolled his eyes at the obvious change of subject. “Stay still.”

With that, he started to reach for Finn’s face. Finn yelped, trying to lean away. Glade frowned. “Stay still!” 

Glade chased after the retreating face, following him with the cloth. With an exasperated sigh, he lunged at Finn’s face. Finn threw himself back, and Glade’s body went with him.

Finn exhaled sharply when his back hit the dirt, if only in preparation for Glade colliding with him. Glade glowered at him for a few moments, then grinned. From his successful position, he reached over, gently pressing the cloth against Finn’s bruised face.

“Hey! This isn’t fair!” Finn whined, looking at Glade through his good eye.

Glade just snickered at him. “Be honest. You need someone to take care of you!” 

Finn huffed, then relented. “Fine.” He paused for a moment, then added. “Just ‘cuz it’s you.”

He felt Glade’s entire body stiffen at the words, and Finn’s face turned red. 

“I-I…” Finn stuttered, glancing away. He waited for the other boy to move away, or to say something. Instead, the pressure on him didn't relieve, the body only seeming to lean heavier on him.

A hand came up, brushing against his hair. Finn looked over, then at Glade. His expression was gentle, but serious. The two studied each other in absolute silence.

The sun was going down, Finn noted. It always went down sooner in weather like this. Winter was quite nearly upon them. He would have expected to feel a chill in his bones, but none was present.

Was it due to him just having been training? Or was it possibly due to the body heat he was sharing with this best friend? It couldn't be, considering that the freezing creek water on his shin and face should at least be semi-counteracting. In addition, Glade had to have been just as cold as he was. He was so warm, it just did not make sense.

“Finn…” Glade breathed out, after all those moments of silence.

“…Yeah, Glade?” Finn asked, looking at his friend. His face was red, Finn was startled to note.

“Are you feverish?” The ungloved hand darted across his forehead, resting fingers there for a few moments.

“Why do you ask?” Finn said, trying not to let his eyes settle on Glade’s lips.

“Your face is red.” The steady, serious voice said.

Finn shrugged quickly. “Well, so is yours…Are you sick, by chance? Maybe you’ve given it to me, giving how close we are to each other.”

It was a challenge. Finn knew it was. Suddenly, there was contact on his lips.

Vaguely, he heard Quan calling for him in the distance.


	2. Present Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chronologically, they shouldn't have Homer yet, but I couldn't think of any character who would serve his purpose better.

“Finn!”

He felt frozen. Was that Quan’s voice, calling for him?

“There you are!”

…Glade?

“Hey, are you sleeping?”

Finn’s eyes shot open. Leif was crouched next to him, looking worried.

“Lord Leif…” Finn stood up, bowing low. 

“You must've been tired.” Leif reached out a put a hand on Finn’s arm for a moment as the blue knight rose, inspecting him for a few seconds. “You’re not injured, right? You don’t have to hide stuff like this from me anymore…we have a lot of allies, now. You’re safe.”

Finn shook his head, waiting for Leif to move his arm away. “I am alright, Lord Leif. I simply dozed off.”

“It looks like a comfortable tree stump, anyway.” Leif tried to smile at him. Finn could tell that he was worried.

Finn set a gentle hand on his young lord’s shoulder. “I am alright, Lord Leif. I swear this to you. Come, now. I should not have slept like this. We have places to be.”

“Of course, you’re right.” Leif looked Finn up and down for a few more seconds, then sighed and turned away, looking ahead.

Finn stepped forward to stand right at Leif’s side. “Are you alright, Lord Leif?”

Leif looked at him, then nodded. “I’m just…trying to stay strong. The way that you do.” 

Finn could see it in him. The stiff upper lip, the stiff shoulders. He was trying to be emotionless.

Finn set a hand on Leif’s shoulder again. “You should lead how it suits you, not how you saw me do it. You are much stronger than I.”

Leif frowned. “That isn’t—”

“Leif!” Asbel came running over, screeching to a halt right before he ran into the young prince. “I-I mean, Lord Leif!” He corrected himself when he saw Finn standing next to the brown-haired boy.

“What is it, Asbel?” Leif stepped forward.

“We have to get to Tahra, as soon as possible! Karin, she spotted enemies approaching rapidly!” He had his fists clenched in front of his body, magical energy nearly sparking off of him. 

Leif was just as tense. “Let’s go, then. We just got away from those bastards—bandits!” He yelped to correct himself, being reminded by Asbel’s darting eyes that Finn was standing right there.

“It is as you say. Let us hurry our way forward and cut through.” Finn stepped forward, ignoring the language used by his lord.

“C’mon, Lord Leif!” Asbel went running off, Leif at his heels. 

“You know.” A voice came from the woods. Homer stepped out of the trees, having been beaten to them by Asbel. “That pretty knightess, what was her name, Selphina? She told me, that Glade is up ahead!”

Finn felt like his entire body twitched. Damn that perceptive bard, had he heard their whole conversation?

“Was that emotion, Finn?” Homer raised an eyebrow. Finn ignored him, instead marching over to his horse.

He knew very well that his dream was not just a dream, but a memory. He had lived it only once before, and was surprised when he had gone through it again last night. Had he known, in a way, that he was going to encounter Glade again so soon? Had Selphina’s accusation that he was “cold to women” wormed itself deep into his heart? Perhaps he was cold to grown women, for a reason only he knew. He, and one other person. Not even Quan had known, as far as Finn knew. His lord had walked up shortly after Glade had scrambled off of him, had fretted over Finn until he had lied and told him that he was only roughed up due to a lively sparring match with Glade.

What would have happened, he wondered, if he had told his lord about the truth?

He shook his head. Even now, he was numb to that concept. Finn could not live in the past. Not yet.

\--- --- --- --- --- ---

He watched Selphina run up to Glade after the battle. The two held each other so tightly, so lovingly. Finn hated happy couples. It was not due to his lack of being one. It was simply because his lord and lady could never be one, in the living world. Perhaps they had been happy in the desert.

At least, that is what he told himself. He could never admit to himself that there was a slight fluttering in his stomach when he saw Glade.

A decade. That is how long it had been since he last saw him. He had bid Glade farewell, and had leaned in for one moment.

Glade had leaned away.

Finn turned his back on his best friend. Perhaps Lord Leif needed him. 

He began to walk away, until he felt a familiar firmness on his forearm. He turned his head to see a pair of tired eyes looking at him.

“Finn. Is it really you?” Glade asked.

Finn nodded silently.

“I should have known. I mean to say, I saw how you were protecting Lord Leif. It had to have been you.” Glade reached out to touch Finn’s face. “But, you used to be much more cheerful…”

Finn jerked away.

It was a shock, even to him. An impulsive reaction. His stomach hurt. What was it? Jealousy? Hatred, for Glade and Selphina? He had left Finn, and she had stolen Glade away.

Only when he saw Glade’s slight frown did he realize what it truly was. Heartbreak. 

“Finn…” Glade slid his hand down from Finn’s forearm to his gloved hands.

“Glade.” Finn said the name of his friend.

“Can we—” He started.

“Talk?” Finn finished for him. “I believe it would be for the best. Come, now. Let us try to keep it brief.”

Finn turned again then, leading Glade down a hallway. He was not sure where he was leading him, and yet, he took the front of their pair. He heard Glade’s exhausted steps behind him, a slight drag of heavy boots. There was a time when the two of them would have frolicked down the hallway. Not anymore.

“In here.” Glade suddenly interrupted his internal monologue. Finn looked behind him, and Glade motioned at a side room. Finn followed his friend into there.

“You can take a seat anywhere.” Glade motioned around, sitting in one of the spare chairs. “A bit dusty, I am afraid…”

Finn nodded quietly, sitting at one of the other ones. The two men looked at each other. Finn remembered Glade always being at least a tad more serious than him. However, he had never seen him look so tired before.

“You look different.” Glade echoed his thoughts.

Finn tilted his head back and looked at Glade. “You took the words right out of my mouth. You have always known me well, this way.”

Glade winced for a moment. “Listen, Finn, if I may…I understand if you hate me.”

Finn sat straight up and looked at Glade. “Hate…you?”

Glade rubbed the back of his neck. “I suppose it would be more proper for me to call you Sir Finn…”

“I could never hate you.”

The words nearly shocked Finn himself.

“Then…do you hate Selphina? It is not her fault—” Glade started.

Finn shook his head. “I do not hate either of you. I am happy to see the two of you, in good health.”

Glade studied Finn closely. “You forget how well I know you, friend, if I am allowed to still call you that. There is no happiness on your face.”

Finn looked at his hands for a few moments. How in the world was he supposed to respond to that?

“Did I say something wrong?” Glade fretted.

“I apologize.” Finn’s voice was faint. “I…I have not been able to show my emotions well, since…”

“I’m sorry. I should have thought about your feelings.” Glade said.

Finn looked up. “I just told you that I have not been able to feel well.”

“You still have feelings, Finn, even if they got broken. I apologize for hurting them in a moment where you had needed reassurance the most.” Glade shook his head.

The blue-haired knight looked at Glade for a few silent moments, then asked. “Why did you lean away.”

Glade looked at him, silent for even longer, before responding. “I do not know.”

Finn nodded, and offered Glade his hand. Glade took it, standing up. He offered Finn a slight smile.

“Glade. It hurt me at the time. However, now, I am a grown man. You have fun with Selphina, and make a good family.”

Finn turned, and started to walk out.

Glade called after him. “You have a good family of your own, there. Leif, and that sweet Nanna girl. You even have me, if you will have me.”

Finn turned around, and looked at Glade. His words got stuck in his throat. He managed to say, after some deliberation, “I will be going to the desert, when this is all over.”

“We will all look for you there.” Was the response.

**Author's Note:**

> my twitter is @ishtore !


End file.
